Most Read of 2021: Asia Pacific

When this year’s Olympic and Paralympic games were disrupted, TBWA\New Zealand took matters into their own hands to create a way for fans to still be present without actually being at the games. The ANZ Support Band uses Bluetooth technology to allow athletes to ‘feel supported’ via vibrations on their own wrist brand with the New Zealand Team app.

I just love this campaign from BBDO Guerrero, it combines beauty with sustainability in a nifty product. ‘The Dissolving Bottle’ is the perfect answer to hair washing without the unnecessary plastic and even looks good too! 

The CEO of McCann Worldgroup China, Emily Chang spoke to us about what she thinks makes a great leader. As someone who’s had 20 years of experience working in marketing, commerce and global business sectors, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge. In her words: “Each of our strengths can become a weakness when applied at the wrong time. So, my passion and curiosity can be strengths when the team needs energising and engagement. But sometimes, it’s better to hold back, listen, and exhibit prudence. Instead of resolving conflict, I’ve learned to step back and manage the conversation so teams can resolve on their own, which builds esprit and new ways of working that can take us all into the future even more productively.”

In this piece, Photoplay’s director Jonathon Chong explores how animation in advertising is the perfect way to get an audience to connect with clips. In his words: “I want to bring creative solutions to the table, bounce ideas and refine concepts using a combination of stop motion, CGI and live action to create visuals that cut through the noise and make audiences take notice.”

It’s almost a year since this spot from McCann Worldgroup Shanghai released this film for Coca Cola to celebrate Chinese New Year and yet it’s still as relevant today. At just over four minutes, this short film takes us through the lives of three youths as they explain why it’s the little things that make Chinese New Year so special.

Earlier this year I caught up with Coffee Cocoa Gunpowder’s founders Chiquita King and Ant Melder who both spoke to me about setting up a new agency in the midst of a pandemic. With a philosophy about giving back and plenty of exciting campaigns under their belts, this duo and their independent agency have made a mark on Australia’s advertising scene.

Musician and advertiser Keigan Pinto is one of India’s exciting creatives with plenty to say. Earlier in the year I caught up with him to hear how he’s steering FCB Ulka into the next phase and why for him, this current year has presented many interesting moments for creativity. 

When Simon Le Bon, his wife Yasmin and their partner Nick Wood opened up a music agency in Japan they had no idea what would happen in the future. Well, three decades later and the agency is one of the country’s most successful and has branched out to China, London and Los Angeles. I used this interview to pick Nick’s brain and hear more about the agency’s work over the years.

This spot from Lay’s and Happiness Saigon really got our jury members talking in this year’s APAC round of the Immortal Awards. It’s so clever, simple and effective. To combat those crunching sounds we make when eating and watching YouTube, this Google Chrome plugin automatically turns on subtitles when it detects the sound of crunching chips.

We all love a bit of innovative tech and this project from Akcelo marries everybody’s favourite block game with some nifty AI. Using Google’s voice assistant, a new experience awaits children as they are given the chance to explore five different sonic worlds using Lego Playwaves.

Taking inspiration from Back to the Future, this McDonald’s New Zealand spot by DDB Aotearoa was created to highlight the ingredients that go in the fast-food chain’s meals. ‘Ordered from here’ is a 60-second campaign that takes us through the journey of sourcing quality ingredients. 

This spot from Japanese director Show Yanagisawa is so much more than promoting a water brand. It’s a journey of a youngster both literally, down a never-ending corridor and metaphorically as she breaks boundaries. It celebrates all that is wonderful about Japanese craft and filmmaking and is a true ode to the country’s creative scene.

I’ll be honest – this headline really does speak for itself. Simon Cowell aka once TV’s moodiest person teamed up with The Wiggles in a campaign that promotes Uber Eats Australia with a very catchy tune. Featuring four different spots, this is the fifth instalment in the ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’ series from Uber Eats and is every much as enjoyable as the last.

In a bid to stay relevant to Gen Z, Wunderman Thompson Thailand’s spot for Tinder Thailand aims to get users to use the app to discover other ways to build connections. The campaign is certainly a first for the country but it’s done so well we’ve heard that there may be a sequel in the making…

I genuinely think I’ve spent more time daydreaming about travels than ever before. So to see a tourism campaign that takes us through a country’s different hot spots has been like a mini getaway – for me anyway! This spot from M&C Saatchi Jakarta for Indonesia Tourism is all about encouraging domestic travellers to rediscover their country.